


Proud Stance

by Mertiya



Series: Story Circle [38]
Category: Magic: The Gathering (Card Game)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, First Kiss, Fix-It, Getting Together, Grief/Mourning, Gruulfriends - Freeform, chandra is a pan mess, fuck you wotc they're queer as hell, nissa is awkward
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-14
Updated: 2019-11-14
Packaged: 2021-01-30 08:34:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21425275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mertiya/pseuds/Mertiya
Summary: On Zendikar, Chandra tries to handle her grief at Gideon's loss and her blossoming feelings for Nissa.
Relationships: Chandra Nalaar/Nissa Revane
Series: Story Circle [38]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/418990
Comments: 16
Kudos: 50





	Proud Stance

**Author's Note:**

> lmao yeah wotc you don't get to hold onto them anymore, they're mine now and they're girlfriends i don't make the rules. title from a custom card by niuttuc

The night air of Zendikar was chilly, and the pale, cloud-covered moon provided little light. She was shivering already, but Chandra couldn’t sleep, so here she was outside instead, staring at the distant black smear that was the tree-covered mountains. She didn’t usually get existential, but she felt so small and alone.

“Chandra?” Nissa’s soft footsteps heralded the elf’s approach behind her. She shivered, not quite wanting to look back.

“Sorry,” she said, hunching her shoulders and crossing her arms. “I didn’t mean to wake you up or anything.”

“I don’t mind.” Nissa put a ginger hand on her shoulder, and Chandra just managed not to flinch away. Nissa must have felt the muscle movement, though, because she pulled her hand away immediately. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I’ll…I’ll go.”

For once in her life, Chandra almost hesitated, the seconds after Nissa’s words fell on the air stretching long, but at what was probably the last instant, she whirled around and grabbed Nissa’s wrist, catching her just before she left arms’ length. “No,” she said. “No, don’t.”

Nissa made a soft, surprised noise, but she let Chandra tug her back.

“I’ve been crying so much,” Chandra blurted. “I hate it. Crying’s so useless.” A hesitant hand reached for her shoulder again, and this time Chandra didn’t pull away. “I just, I was so—I loved Gideon. I can’t believe he’s gone. He was always the strong one.”

“Yes, of course,” Nissa said, quiet, distant. Then, after a pause. “I know, Chandra, I know.”

Stinging tears were rising to her eyes, and Chandra sniffed fiercely. “I thought he’d always be there.”

“Would it help if I held you?”

Chandra hesitated again, then set her chin angrily. It wasn’t like her to be a coward. Not even now. She turned and put her arms around Nissa without answering, pressed her face into Nissa’s warm shoulder. “Please never let me go,” she muttered.

Another pause. Then Nissa spoke again, haltingly. “What we said on Ravnica…”

“I.” Gods, it was hard to form words. Her throat hurt so badly. Tears leaked slowly out of her eyes and down onto Nissa’s shoulder. “I. I just lost—m-my best friend—and—” Words weren’t supposed to be difficult for Chandra, but getting out the first few was almost impossible. After that, though, they started spilling past her lips faster and faster. “I just _lost_ my best friend, who was supposed to always be there, and I’m so scared that if I get close to you, I’ll lose you too, and I think it would kill me. I can’t lose you. I’m changing all the time, and I’m a planeswalker, so I don’t have a rock, I don’t have—I mean I have a home, but it’s not—it’s not like that. You’re the only thing that doesn’t change. You’re the only thing I have left I can hold onto, and that’s so much for one person, but I love you so _much_, Nissa. I’m so scared.”

Nissa drew in her breath, quick, almost a sob as well. “Oh,” she said. “Oh, Chandra.” Then she laughed a little, softly. “Thank goodness.”

“Wh-What?”

“I thought you were going to say you weren’t into women.”

Chandra blinked at her. “You _what_? Whoa, no, holy _shit_, you’re _so_—” She reached out, moving her hands frantically in round curves. “Uh. I mean.”

In the pale half-light, it was hard to see Nissa’s face, but Chandra thought she was smiling a little. “I’m glad,” she said. “Because you are too.”

Although tears were still leaking from Chandra’s eyes, she found she was smiling through them. She couldn’t stop the way her cheeks were curving upward. She was such a horrible mess of conflicting emotions, happiness and pain intertwining in her chest, her heart pounding so hard and so fast she was sure Nissa could feel it. “Um, I’m a mess, and I’m leaking snot and tears and stuff, but can I—” She leaned up on her tiptoes.

“Hm?” Nissa blinked at her as Chandra’s hands shifted around onto the back of her waist.

“Can I kiss you?”

Nissa wasn’t crying, but the expression on her face had been momentarily pained. The pain fled in an instant, replaced with a kind of reckless hope. “Really?” she said, and her own hands moved up to cradle Chandra’s head. Chandra nodded eagerly. “Yes. Yes, you can.”

“Awesome.” Chandra pulled Nissa tighter against her, a pleasant little shock spiking inside her at the feeling of their breasts pressing into one another, and then she brought their mouths together in a sloppy, desperate, open-mouthed kiss.

It had been so long coming. For a little while, she’d thought they wouldn’t make it this far at all. But she knew Gideon wouldn’t have wanted his death to drive a wedge between them. And she also knew while he might have wanted her to try to curb some of her wilder impulses, this wasn’t an impulse that deserved to be curbed. It wasn’t one she should be curbing. If it was a mistake, it was the best kind of mistake.

Nissa’s hands were roaming carefully, softly, across her back, and Chandra nibbled enticingly on her lower lip and wriggled her toes excitedly at the soft moan she got in response. She let her hands on Nissa’s back slip a little lower, and Nissa made a long, shuddering, breathy noise.

“Wanna go to bed?” Chandra asked hopefully, breaking the kiss just enough to say that, although they were still nose-to-nose.

Nissa bit her lip, and even in the dim moonlight, Chandra could see the deep flush spreading across the tops of her cheeks and her nose. “You don’t mean sleeping, do you?” she asked.

“Well. Maybe eventually,” Chandra grinned. “But I’d like to do a few other things first. If you’re up for them.”

Slowly, Nissa nodded, brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes. “Yes,” she said. “I would like that very much, Chandra.”

“Good,” said Chandra and kissed her again.


End file.
